Improvement in machines for the manufacture of india-rubber belting



Y I 4Sheets--Sheet1.

l T. V1. MAYALL.

Machines for the Manu-facture of |nia-Rubber Bel'ting. N0 ,l57,92l Patented Decr.22,1874.

4 Sheets--Sheet 2.

T. l. MAYALL.

Machines for the Manufacture of India-Rubber Belting No.l57,92l. Pgrentgdnemzznmm e z D e will. L@ ej" l* n. i

Ill I A o W/TA/SSES:

l MM5 4Sheets-$heet3- l. MAYALL. Machines for the Manufacture of India -Rubher Be'lting.

Patented Dec. 22,1874.

No.l57,92\.

4vSheets--Sheet 4. T. l. NIAYALL.4

Machines for the Manufacture of India-Rubberl Bltng.

No.157,92l. Palrenred nec.22,1874.

rfc-1 THE GRAPHIC CD4 PHDYD 'LITHSlH PARK PLACEVNAY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. MAYALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER BELTING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,921, dated December 22, 1871i;` application filed November 23, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. MAYALL, of Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Vulcanized India-Rubber Belting, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to rubber belting. composed of canvas or duck, coated with rubber, and particularly to that kind of such belting in which the canvas is folded once or oftener onto itself, thus giving two or more thicknesses of cloth to the belting.

Heretofore such belting has, so far as lmy knowledge extends, been made by hand. lt is my object to perform automatically, and by machinery, the work in this branch of manufacture heretofore done by hand, thus dispensing with labor to a great extent, and at the same time making the goods with more accuracy and regularity than has heretofore been practicable.

The accompanying drawing represents the manner in which my invention is carried into effect.

A plan of the machine is shown in Figures la lb, the latter figure being a continuation of the former. In like lnanner Figs. 2fL 2b represent a vertical section of the machine on line y, Figs. la lb. A side elevation of the machine is shown in Figs. 3a 3l.

The machinery in the drawing is arranged to fold the canvas twice upon itself, in order to make a belt consisting of three thicknesses of canvas. I would here note, however, at the outset, that machinery organized on this plan can be used for making a belt of a greater or less number of folds or layers of cloth. I have simply taken the present organization to indicate the nature of my invention, which remains the same, whether the number of cloth layers be two or three, or more.

The various working parts of the machine are mounted in framework A, of suitable structure. The prepared canvas is wound upon a spool, B2, at one end of the machine, the shaft on which the spool is mounted revolving in proper bearings, from which it may be removed whenever it is desired to slip the exhausted spool from the shaft and replace it by a full one. The canvas, coated on one or both sides with cement, is wound up on this spool, with an interposed layer of thin cotton cloth, as usual in rubber manufacture, to prevent the cemented layers of canvas from sticking together. The thin cotton cloth is taken oft' as the canvas passes into the machine by a spool, A', which is revolved by power, to take up the slack of the cotton cloth as fast as it comes from the canvas-roll. From the spool A the canvas passes to a table, B, on one side of which is a fence, B1, provided with a vertically adjustable horizontal gage, a. This gage determines the width of the iirst fold of canvas, and is set at a height above the table equal to the width of the fold. Flat on the table is another gage, al, adjustable in a horizontal plane toward and away from the fence B1. Supposing the canvas is to be folded twice upon itself, the gage a is twice the distance from the fence B1 that the gage a is from the table B. The canvas, passing from the spool, is bent up at one edge, which will run under the gage a, while its opposite edge, which rests on the table, runs against the gage a. In the side of the fence, beyond the vertical gage, is set a vertical roller, O, indicated by dotted lines, whose periphery is about iush with, or projects a little beyond, the face of the fence. Directly opposite the roller O is set an inclined freely-revolving disk or creasing-wheel, Cf, formed as shown, whose lowest part runs just above the table. The canvas,`upturned on one side, as before stated, is creased at the angle of its bend by passing between this creasing-wheel and the roller O. The upturned part of the canvas now passes under the folding-guide D, which folds this part of the canvas down onto the flat part, which travels between the gage a and the fence, and, as before stated, is twice the width of the formerly upturned but now folded part. The roller C is driven by power, as will be presently described. The canvas passes from the guide D to and between pressure-rollers D', which flatten down the first fold thus formed rupon the main body of the canvas. The second fold is now `made by turning up the canvas on the opposite edge, and passing this upturned part between a vertical roller, E, and a horizontal wheel or disk, E, both of which revolve freely. The fold previously 2 i temeer formed passes beneath the disk E', and the newly upturned part is now creased at the bend by the action of the disk and the roller. The axis or spindle of roller E is mounted on a plate adjustable toward and away from the disk E', as shown. The part upturned by the action of these creasing devices now passes under the folding-guide F, which also is adjustable toward and away from a fence or rib, against which the opposite edge of the canvas runs, and said upturned part is', by the action of said guides, folded down upon the fold previously formed.

W In this way the canvas strip is folded onto itself, so as to be in three thicknesses or layers, in which condition it passes over a freelyrevolving roller, Gr, provided with two collars, G1 G2, the latter of which is adjustable to and from the other, in order to make the distance between them conform to the width of the belt. Over this guide-roller the folded canvas passes between the power-driven pressure or calender rolls H, which compress the three thicknesses of canvas together. The canvas thus brought to belt form is now ready to receive its rubber coating. To this end it passes up from the pressure-rolls II over a loose roller, I, to and between an upper roll or wheel, J, of a width about equal the width of the belt, and a lower roll, J', double tapered toward its middle, with a cylindrical part between the two tapered parts equal in width to the width of the upper roll J. Below roller I is mounted, on a loosely-revolving spindle, and in a manner similar to the spools B2 A', a spool, K, that carries the green rubber strip with which the belt is to be covered. This strip is of about twice the width of the belt, so that it may cover the latter on both sides, and is put on the spool in the way usually practiced in rubber manufacture. The rubber strip passes up between the rolls J J below the canvas belt. It is caused to adhere to the under side ofthe belt by the pressure of these rolls, while the double tape of the lower rolls causes the protruding edges of the rubber to be turned upward,

and Ythus prepared to pass between the ver-Y tical rollers L, which are adjustable toward and away from each other, as shown, and should be set at such distances apart as to permit the belt to pass between them, and yet to turn vertically upward the part ofthe rubber strip that extends out beyond each edge of the canvas belt. The canvas and rubber now pass over a loose roller, M. Before they reach this roller the upturned parts of the green rubber strip will, by reason of the tension or draft on the belt, as well as of their natural inability to stand upright, fall yover onto the top of the belt. Above roller M is hung a vertical blade, M', extending longitudinally of the machine, and in line of junction of the two edges of the rubber strip. This blade is adjustable laterally, as shown, and is designedV to run in the line of seam, or between the contiguous edges of the rubber, to prevent their overlapping. Just in advance of this roller and blade are the power-driven, nishin gpressure, or calenderin g-rolls N, between which the belt passes, receiving a final pressure that unites the canvas and rubber, and consolidates the belt. From these rolls the belt passes down under a loose roller, N', in the soapstone or pounce boX O; thence up between the power-driven rotating brushes P, which remove from it the surplus soap-stone, and thence over loose roller R to the power-driven spool S, upon which it is wound up with an interposed layer of cloth, metallic foil, or other suitablematerial. This completes the manipulation of the belt in the machine. It is then ready for vulcanizing.

The power for those portions of the machine which have a positive action on the belt in carrying itforward through the machine is del rived from a driving-shaft, T, extending lengthwise of the machine, with which said portions are geared in the manner plainly shown in the drawings.

The parts are, of course, so geared that they will move in unison, no one part exerting a draft on the belt greater or less than that exerted by the others.

It will be understood that the number of folding devices is in proportion the number of times the canvas is to be folded. It will also be understood that the structure of these folding devices can be greatly varied without departure from my invention.

I would also remark that a belt of three thicknesses of canvas can be made by folding the canvas once only, and introducing between the folds just before they are brought together a separate and distinct canvas strip.-

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In machinery for making combined canvas and rubber belting, the combination of a foldingY mechanism which folds the canvas into two or more thicknesses, a rubber-applying mechanism which envelo ps said folded canvas in a sheath of rubber, and pressure-rolls which unite and consolidate said canvas and rubber, said combination operating substantially in the manner set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 24th day of November, A. D. 1874;.

THOS. J. MAYA LL.

Witnesses:

EWELL A. DrcK, Brenn. W. HARTNETT. 

